


Lessons Learned

by tomfoolery14



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Boys In Love, Good Parent Maryse Lightwood, I don't know how to tag this???, M/M, she's learned from her mistakes and is trying to make things better from now on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 04:43:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12028359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomfoolery14/pseuds/tomfoolery14
Summary: ‘I didn’t fall in love, I was thrown into it’ - promptorAlec and Maryse have a heart to heart





	Lessons Learned

“I should be home in a few hours. I’m sorry; it seems like it’s becoming a common trend to miss dinner.”

“Don’t worry, Alexander; I understand. You’ve got an entire Institute resting on those lovely, broad shoulders of yours.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can, okay?”

“I’ll be here.” Magnus’ tone was bright and cheerful, and though it was undeniably an exaggeration purely for his benefit, Alec appreciated it.

“I miss you,” he murmured, his tone warm and dripping sincerity like honey from his lips.

“I’ve been counting down the minutes since you called,” Magnus mused. “We’re down to one hundred and sixteen by my calculations.”

Leaning against the stained glass window, tracing the ridges in the glass with his thumb, Alec smiled to himself. “I think we can manage that.”  He paused, wanting just a moment to indulge in relishing the warm feeling blooming in his chest. With a soft sigh of disdain, he said with displeasure, “I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta get back to work. I’ll see you tonight?”

“Until then, Mr. Lightwood,” Magnus teased, his tone lowered an octave in faux solemnity.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Just as Alec pulled the phone away from his ear, there was a soft knock on the door of his office. Maryse peeked her head in, one hand on the door. “Is now a bad time?”

“Mother. Come on in.” Making his way over to the small end table by the couch, he grabbed the coffee pot off the tray and picked up two small mugs. “Coffee?”

“Thank you.” Maryse took one of the mugs and held it in both hands as Alec poured.

“What’s going on?” Alec asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Maryse gave him a wry smile in reply. “I’m sorry that you’ve been conditioned to think whenever I show up, there must be something wrong that I expect you to fix. As a mother, I’m just now beginning to learn that…” she trailed off, looking down at her coffee shyly.  “I was here to check in with Max,” she started again. “But I didn’t want to leave without checking in with you.”

“Just me?”

“Isabelle and I have been speaking much more regularly as of late. Max sends me notes on his training every now and then. Jace… Jace needs some distance to acclimate to his newly acquired surname. But you… I’ve been neglecting you again, Alec. I’ve allowed myself to fall back into the habit of leaving you to fend for yourself because you’re capable of handling it.”

“I don’t expect you to check up on me,” Alec pointed out, gesturing for her to have a seat on the couch. Leaning against the edge of the desk, he set down his cup.

“I’ve missed out on so much of your life, Alec, and if you’re able to let me in now, I’d like to be there for what’s still available to me.”

Alec ducked his head in assent.

“So, how is being head of the Institute treating you?”

Alec relayed a short anecdote from his day that was a relatively good summation of his work. When he got to the part of the story that concerned Magnus he noticed the change in his mother’s expression. Instead of her usual reaction to his name, cold, narrowed eyes and mouth set into a sharp frown, she just looked curious.

“How is Magnus?” she asked carefully, once the story was over.

“Business is good, and his work for the Institute is as reliable as ever. I have no complaints.”

Maryse tipped her head to the side slightly, a pitying expression on her face. “I meant your personal relationship. Are you two happy? Are _you_ happy?”

“I am,” Alec responded without missing a beat. “I’m very happy.” He offered a smile, hands folded in his lap.

“I’ll never forget the conviction in your voice when you told your father and me that you intended to get to know him,” she reminisced with a half-smile. “You just knew, didn’t you? That he was what you’d been waiting for.”

Rubbing at the inside of his palm with his thumb, a nervous tick Isabelle had pointed out to him, he nodded. “I think I did.”

“You fell in love, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t _fall_ in love; I was thrown into it,” Alec chuckled. “The second my heart and Magnus’ collided, it was inevitable.”

Maryse set down her cup on the table, crossing her ankles delicately. “From what I understand, Magnus is a good man. From your brothers, I’ve heard of his power and greatness. Isabelle speaks highly of his kindness and sacrifice. But I wanted to hear from you—does he _love you_ the way you deserve, Alec?”

He wished he could tell her just how much, wished he could turn the feelings into words that made sense and conveyed the depth of his feelings. He wanted to say he was ecstatically, stupidly happy; the kind where he actually felt like the world around him stopped for a second when he saw Magnus. How just the touch of their hands, the tangle of their fingers made his blood feel hot in the best way. How the idea of spending his life with someone no longer had to be a union of leverage or convenience, but instead a promise of utterly blissful happiness forever.

But instead, Alec simply shook his head with a smile and looked down at his hands. “More than.”

**Author's Note:**

> as always, you can come find me at champagnemagnus.tumblr.com!


End file.
